Hosea 5:7

They have dealt treacherously against the Lord,.... Which was the reason of his departure from them; as a woman deals treacherously with her husband when she is unfaithful to him, and commits

They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

They, the whole house of Israel, priests, people, and princes, and their kings with them, have dealt treacherously; have falsified their word and promise of fidelity and constancy, of love and affection, when they entered covenant with me; have turned idolaters, and worshipped and relied on false gods. They have begotten strange children; as if it were not enough that they were idolaters, they have trained up their children in the same idolatry, partly by their instruction, and more by their examples. Now, or therefore, or ere long, as . A month; either the new moon, one particular species of ceremonial, superstitious worship put for all the rest, as some interpret, or rather, a time not long (as an age); not as to the old world, nor as to Nineveh, forty days, but a shorter time: possibly it may refer to Shallum’ s short time of usurpation, which lasted but a month; a month shall devour them, the Assyrians shall make a speedy conquest over you. With their portions; not only persons, but their goods and chattels, are exposed to speediest spoiling; and as a token of such future speedy desolation, the prophet points out a short reign of one of the usurpers, and foretells the precise time of his continuance, that when they shall see this come to pass. They might believe the rest foretold by the prophet should also come to pass. Nor is this conjecture without some ground, since we know that Shallum slew Zachariah before the people, , implying the people’ s concurrence herein, and their accepting of Shallum with expectation of peace and prosperity, to the increase of their portion under his government, all which was blasted at the month’ s end.

Hosea 5:7 They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.Ver. 7. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord] They have dealt deceitfully in the covenant, they are a perfidious cursed crew of them; this I see well enough, saith God, though they may think to darken my eyesight with the smoke of their many sacrifices, or to stop my mouth with their great presents. See how he complaineth, as in this prophecy often, so Jeremiah 3:20, "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel." Now in such a case a man will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts; he will not be a pander to his own bed unless he be very base indeed, Proverbs 6:35. Most certain it is, that God will not endure any such doings; but though he loves his spouse never so well, yet if she plays false with him, and admit any other into the bridal bed, he will forsake his house that has been so dishonest, he will leave his heritage that has been so embased, he will give the dearly beloved of his soul into the hand of her enemies, Jeremiah 12:7, who shall hate her more than ever they loved her, as Amnon did Tamar, and deal cruelly with her, as Ezekiel 16:1-63 is at large discoursed. The wickedness of this people was the greater, for that they pretended religion to their base beastly practices. Dissembled sanctity is double iniquity. See how heinously God takes it, Jeremiah 7:9-10. And when others deal treacherously and unworthily with you, see whether you have not done as badly and worse against the Lord, Alphonsus, king of Aragon, in a speech to the pope’ s ambassador, professed that he did not so much wonder at his courtiers’ ingratitude to him (who had raised various of them from mean to great estates) as at his own to God. For they have begotten strange children] Bastards, such as the Jews call Mamzer, as ye would say, aliena labes, a strange blot. They call them also brambles, such as was Abimelech, who grew in the hedge row of a harlot, and scratched and drew blood to purpose, Judges 9:14. That which is here charged upon the Israelites is, that they had not only taken to wife the daughters of a strange god, or begotten bastards of harlots, but they had muzzled up their children in idolatry, and so made them sevenfold worse the children of the devil than before. This was a very great aggravation of their treachery, that they should empoison their posterity and propagate their wickedness from one generation to another; that there should be a line and a succession of it from their loins. None are so ready to drink in false principles and corrupt practices as young ones.

(7) Strange children refers to offspring that followed in the ways of their mother. (Comp. Hosea 1) Some reference is involved to the consequences of intermarriage with heathen. The “month” may be a personification of the period of a month (Henderson), during which takes place the now closely impending (perhaps already commenced) invasion by Tiglathpileser (2 Kings 15:29; 2 Chron. 19:21). This invasion was due in part to Ahaz having sought the aid of Assyria against Pekah and Rezin.

Verse 7. Now shall a month devour them] In a month's time the king of Assyria shall be upon them, and oblige them to purchase their lives and liberties by a grievous tax of fifty shekels per head. This Menahem, king of Israel, gave to Pul, king of Assyria, 2Kg 15:16-20. Instead of month, some translate the original locust. "The locusts shall devour them."

7. Why Jehovah has withdrawn himself, dealt treacherously] i.e. faithlessly. The word is used of an adulteress, Jeremiah 3:20. they have begotten strange children] The subject of the verb are the Israelites individually, of whom the same statement is made which we have already met with respecting the nation in Hosea 2:4-5. now shall a month devour them] The time for punishment has arrived. Instead of watching gladly for the new moon to fix the various hallowed festivals (comp. Hosea 2:11), they should have a ‘fearful looking for of judgment’ increasing as each new moon arose. If not this, then perhaps the next would bring with it a slaughtering, plundering horde of invaders. ‘Month’ should rather be new moon (as nothing is added to qualify the sense). with their portions] i.e. the lands assigned to the several tribes and families (comp. ‘the portion of Jezreel,’ 2 Kings 9:10).

They have dealt treacherously - Literally, “have cloaked,” and so, acted deceitfully. The word is used of treachery of friend toward his friend, of the husband to his wife, or the wife husband.